Please help, used impure ammonia to cycle to tank

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Coco pebbles

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
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I started up a 75-gallon tank a week ago and thought I had done enough research. I bought a bottle of ammonia to cycle it, but the bottle (LAs Totally Awesome Pure Ammonia) didn't have any ingredients labeled. I did the shake test, but apparently, I didn't shake it enough.



My problem is my tank is huge! I can drain easy enough if I go to the store and buy a bigger siphon. However rinsing it with hot water and draining it is near impossible. I have no idea how I should take care of the sand and the canister filter.



I would really appreciate advice as to how I should rinse the aquarium, substrate and filter.
 
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I am assuming you put a very small amount in the tank before you realized this? The safest answer would be to remove and thoroughly rinse the sand in a bucket. Disassemble the filter and clean it. The other option is to repeatedly change the water, and make every attempt to remove as much water as possible. You wouldn't have to completely refill it each time to rinse the sand. You might do some web searches. You are not the first person to make this mistake. You can put some feeder fish in to test your cleaning.

Sorry this happened and wish I had better news. Dilution with clean water solves most contamination issues, but soap and perfume could be a big deal and you don't know exactly what you put in there. If it were my tank I would remove the sand and start over.

Go to Ace Hardware and buy proper ammonia. It cost less than $3 for a lifetime supply. I doubt I used more than 1/4 lid full to spike my 60G. Add a half dozen drops and check after 30 minutes so you can see what you need. Otherwise you'll be launching a new thread asking what to do because your ammonia is three times too high.
 
When in doubt on ammonia. Find a msds sheet ( now called ghs).

A couple back to back 100pwc should be fine to start the correct ammonia with. Because youll be doing even more changes over next 8 weeks or so...
 
In any event get some equipment so water changes are not a tragedy. They are a fact of life for fish keepers. You may not have to do large WCs often once you are cycled, but 20%+ needs to be routine when it's necessary.
 
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